Thursday, October 25, 2018
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Remembering John Wicks
Great column by the Post’s John Kelly about the recently-deceased lead
singer of the Records, with shout-outs to WHFS, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the
power-pop classic “Starry Eyes” (which he co-wrote).
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
If legalized gambling is the future, our sports are really in trouble
Thoughtful column by the always-insightful Tom Boswell.
Monday, October 1, 2018
September 26, 2018 – Nats 9, Marlins 3 (7 innings) – Nationals Park
Attendance: 28,680
Duration: 2:45
Weather: 84 degrees, Partly cloudy
Wind: SW 11 MPH
Umpires: HP: Whitson. 1B: Miller. 2B: Hernandez. 3B: Porter.
Section 318, Row F, Seats 14-16 – about halfway down the first-base
line, back row
Final home game of the season – the good, the bad, and the mixed.
Looking forward, and looking back.
Since Tanner Roark was with his family awaiting the birth of their
third child, recent call-up Kyle McGowin got his first opportunity to start a
major-league game. After retiring the first 11 Miami batters and holding the
Marlins scoreless through 4 innings, he was forced to leave the game with a blister,
unable to get the 5 innings of work that would have made him the winning
pitcher.
Top prospect Victor Robles provided hope for the future with a monster
offensive game, going 4 for 5 with a double, homer, and 5 RBI. Fellow rookies
Juan Soto, Spencer Kieboom, and Adrian Sanchez joined Robles to account for all
but one of the team’s 12 hits, while Robles and Kieboom combined for all 8 of
the runs batted in. The Nats got all the runs they needed with 5 in the 2nd
off Wei-Yin Chen, and broke the game wide open with 4 more in the 5th
off Brett Graves.
The game’s ending was also fitting, as the threatened thunderstorms
appeared with a vengeance just as the 7th inning ended.
And Bryce Harper, in possibly his final home game as a National, went
0-4, striking out twice. He would have led off the 8th inning with
the chance for a more positive finale, but the game never resumed.
Saturday, September 22, 2018
September 21, 2018 – Mets 4, Nats 2 – Nationals Park
Attendance: 37,895
Duration: 2:57
Weather: 75 degrees, Partly cloudy
Wind: S 13 MPH
Umpires: HP: Holbrook. 1B: Segal. 2B: Wolf. 3B: Reyburn.
Section 321, Row E, Seats 8-9 – last 300-level section down the right
field line, next-to-last row from the top
Jacob deGrom vs. Joe Ross = predictable outcome
Game notes – the visitors took a quick lead when Jay Bruce singled in
Amed Rosario, who had reached second when Victor Robles misjudged his leadoff
fly to center … Nats tied things up in the bottom of the 2nd as
Rendon drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on a Soto single, and scored on
Zim’s sac fly … the Mets answered right back with 3 in the top of the 3rd
as Ross gave up 4 doubles and a single, with one run being unearned due to
Rendon’s error … Ross exited after 6 without allowing further damage, while
deGrom in all likelihood locked up the Cy Young with 7 innings of 1-run, 3-hit
ball while fanning 8 … Washington drew closer in the bottom of the 9th
when Turner led off with a double and scored on Rendon’s one-out single, but
New York closer Robert Gsellman retired Soto and Zimmerman to end the game
Other – the concession lines continue to be ridiculously long and slow,
a situation not helped by keeping several stands closed despite the large
crowd, and by the staff’s tendency to ignore fans waiting in the “express”
eCash-only lines
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
September 14, 2018 – Royals 8, Twins 4 – Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City)
Attendance: 18,389
Duration: 3:15
Weather: 86 degrees, Clear
Wind: SSE 4 MPH
Umpires: HP: Cederstrom. 1B: May. 2B: Blaser. 3B: Scheurwater.
Section 311, Row G, Seat 14 – “Lexus Infield” section, second level,
under the upper deck overhang, looking down the first base line
Game notes – Minnesota starter Jose Berrios struggled early, giving up
a run in each of the first two innings, but collected himself to blank the
Royals over the next 4 frames … Jorge Lopez, who took a perfect game into the 9th
inning in his previous start, scattered 5 hits over the first 4 innings, but
ran into trouble in the 5th after colliding with Hunter Dozier on a
leadoff chopper, subsequently giving up RBI hits by Joe Mauer, Jake Cave, and
Robbie Grossman before leaving with a left rib contusion … the Twins managed
another run in the 7th, but Adelberto Mondesi answered with a homer
in the bottom of the inning … the 8th saw former Phillie Ben Lively
toss a scoreless top, while the Royals just missed tying the game when Ryan O’Hearn
was thrown out trying to score from first with two outs on Jorge Bonifacio’s
double … with one out in the 9th, a double by Rosell Herrera
followed by singles by Whit Merrifield and Mondesi tied the game and put the
winning run on third … after the Twins intentionally walked Alex Gordon and
deployed a 5-man infield, Salvador Perez fell behind 0-2, then worked the count
full and blasted a hanging slider over the wall in CF to end the game
Other – picked up on a BBQ sandwich ($9.25) and Dunkin’ Donut Munchkins
($5.75) for a snack afterwards … spoke to one of the parking lot attendants
right after I parked, which helped me have a somewhat easier time getting out
of the lot post-game … still, the location markers in the lots (at least Lot A)
are few and far between, making finding your car after dark a challenge
Viewed as a club-type section, the “Lexus Infield” area was
disappointing. The concourse was covered but not enclosed, with
air-conditioning only in the small team store and the George Brett Lounge
(which requires a special ticket). There were a few out-of-the-ordinary food
items in the bar area at the end, but otherwise not much in the way of food
variety, and there were almost no tables. On the good side, the area was not
very crowded, and concession lines were short.
Friday, September 14, 2018
September 13, 2018 – Royals 6, Twins 4 – Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City)
Attendance: 18,745
Duration: 3:12
Weather: 81 degrees, Clear
Wind: SSW 11 MPH
Umpires: HP: Scheurwater. 1B: Cederstrom. 2B: May. 3B: Blaser
Section 133, Row E, Seat 7 – halfway down the first base line, 5 rows
behind the home team dugout; not a “premium” seat, and a bargain at $50.00 (all
seats were significantly cheaper than for the Friday game)
Game notes – Heath Fillmyer turned in a great outing for KC, giving up
a 2-run homer to Jake Cave in the 2nd but allowing only 2 more
baserunners through the 7th inning … Twins “opener” Gabriel Moya and
Stephen Gonsalves held the Royals without a hit through the first 5 innings …
the home team did waste a great scoring chance in the 4th after the
first two batters walked and advanced on a wild pitch … Kansas City did get a
run without benefit of a hit an inning later, when Whit Merrifield walked with
2 outs and scored all the way from first on an error by Minnesota shortstop
Jorge Polanco … the Royals finally broke out in the 6th, when a
Hunter Dozier double and back-to-back homers by Salvador Perez and Jorge
Bonifacio sent Alan Busenitz to an early shower without retiring a batter,
after which the home team tacked on one more run … Fillmyer departed in the 8th
with 1 down and runners on the corners … Brian Flynn allowed 2 straight singles
to score a run and leave the bases loaded, after which Brandon Maurer allowed a
sac fly before Jerry Vasto recorded the final out … Merrifield manufactured an
insurance run in the bottom of the frame, as he drew a walk, advanced to 3rd
on a stolen base / overthrow of 2nd, and scored on a grounder
despite the drawn-in infield … KC closer Wily Peralta pitched a clean top of
the 9th, fanning pinch-hitter Joe Mauer to end the game
Other – the main and auxiliary video screens were good at providing
batter statistics and pitch speed/type/counts, but they didn’t have (or I
couldn’t find) a place to post scoring decisions or inform the fans about pitchers
warming up in the bullpen … got a good grilled chicken sandwich for $8.00 and a
generous bag of popcorn for $5.25 … shortly after parking I realized I had left
my phone in the car and took at least 10 minutes to find it (the car, not the
phone) … having made careful notes, I had no trouble locating my vehicle after
the game, but getting out of the stadium complex was a free-for-all, and I then
sat for 20 minutes without moving on I-70, due to an accident on a stretch that
was down to a single lane because of road work
Thursday, September 13, 2018
September 11, 2018 – Cardinals 11, Pirates 5 – Busch Stadium (St. Louis)
Attendance: 37,187
Duration: 3:23
Weather: 67 degrees, Clear
Wind: N 0 MPH
Umpires: HP: Nelson. 1B: Fletcher. 2B: Diaz. 3B: Gonzalez.
Section 254, Row 4, Seat 11 – Infield Redbird Club, 200 level, about
halfway down the third-base line
Game notes – Miles Mikolas fanned an unusually high (for him) 7 batters
in his 7 innings of work for St. Louis, allowing just a single run on 5 hits
and 1 walk … the Cards plated 2 in the first on a two-run double by Marcell
Ozuna, but didn’t manage another baserunner for the next 4 frames … they
finally scored another 2 runs in the 6th on a wild pitch by
Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams and a sac fly by Paul DeJong, and widened
their lead on another wild pitch an inning later … the home team broke it open
with 6 in the bottom of the 8th, ruining the major-league debut of
Nick Burdi, who gave up a 3-run moonshot to Tyler O’Neill … the Pittsburgh
offense finally came to life at the end, scoring 4 off Luke Weaver before
Tuesday night’s winning pitcher John Brebbia was summoned to record the final
out
Other – the “Infield Redbird Club” seemed more spacious and less
crowded than the comparable area at Nationals Park, and they also had
reasonably-priced pizza slices ($5.75 for cheese, pepperoni, or veggie)
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Shuffle #112 (September 12, 2018)
Billy’s
Blues – Laura Nyro
A Face In
The Crowd – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Award Tour –
A Tribe Called Quest
Don’t Be
Cruel – Elvis Presley
I Found A
Love – Ryan Shaw
Cups – Anna Kendrick
It’s Not For
Me To Say – Johnny Mathis
Jet – Paul McCartney
Rock With
You – Michael Jackson
Little Red
Corvette -- Prince
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